A limo was set on fire following the inauguration of President Donald Trump on January 20. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Protesters torched a limousine in Franklin Square amid Inauguration Day protests, and now the vehicle’s owner could lose up to $100,000 because of it.
Last Friday was a busy day for Nationwide Chauffeured Services, an Alexandria-based limo and luxury car service company. Owner Muhammad Ashraf was in his office working when he heard about the fire.
“It was a sinking feeling—even though they’re cars, they are still like your babies,” says Ashraf, adding that the company has been in business for more than 25 years, and nothing like this has ever happened.
The limo’s driver, Luis Villarroel, was sitting in the vehicle when protesters came and smashed its windows, according to reports. Villarroel fled the car, but not without sustaining cuts to his hand. Protesters later set the car ablaze.
People gathered around the vehicle as the fire grew more intense and the fire department arrived to put it out. The incident has “shaken my driver’s confidence,” Ashraf says.
While he believes in the right to protest, Ashraf draws the line at rioting. “I don’t know what good it did to the people who wanted to make a statement, but it also affects our livelihood, it affects our lives,” he says.
At a press conference, Interim D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said protesters were also responsible for “significant damage in a number of blocks in our city,” including broken windows at a Starbucks, Au Bon Pain, and the Crown Plaza hotel. Police arrested more than 200 people.
The day after the fire, Ashraf learned that the owners of a limo company in Florida had set up a Gofundme page on this behalf. “We didn’t know them, but they were kind enough to step up,” he says.
Ashraf says his insurance broker is working hard to get it covered, but chances aren’t very good because it’s considered riot damage. If his insurance company rejects the claim, he’s looking at a loss of up to $100,000. If insurance covers it, he’s still looking at a cost between $30,000 to $40,000.
So far, people have donated about $13,900 toward the Gofundme page’s $20,00 goal.
Nationwide’s Facebook page has a message thanking the Florida couple and people who’ve contributed. It says, in part, that it’s “always very nice to know there are still many kind people left in this world who feel other’s pain and have beautiful hearts.”
Ashraf was born in Pakistan and has been in the United States for 30 years. He says his company is more than just a business. They’ve also given back to the community with free rides and donations to kids sports teams. “Even last Christmas, we sent our party bus for Girl Scouts to go see Christmas lights in Manassas—for no cost,” he says.
